1 Samuel 17:30 (WEB)

Passage

He turned away from him toward another, and spoke like that again; and the people answered him again the same way.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 17:28 Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger burned against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride, and the naughtiness of your heart; for you have come down that you might see the battle.”

1 Samuel 17:29 David said, “What have I now done? Is there not a cause?”

1 Samuel 17:30 He turned away from him toward another, and spoke like that again; and the people answered him again the same way.

1 Samuel 17:31 When the words were heard which David spoke, they rehearsed them before Saul; and he sent for him.

1 Samuel 17:32 David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "turned", "away", "toward", "another", "spoke", "like", "again", and "people". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "turned" and "away", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 29's "David said What have I now done..." into verse 31's "When the words were heard which David...", so "turned" and "away" belong inside that flow. In 1 Samuel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "turned" and "away" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.